Fallow deer

Fallow deer are shy, elusive animals that live in forests and open grassland.

They are ruminants - mammals that eat plant-based food by partially digesting it, regurgitating it and chewing it once more.

Before the last ice age, fallow deer were common throughout Europe. After the glaciers advanced, they were restricted to the Mediterranean and North Africa.

During the time of the Roman Empire, the Romans reintroduced fallow deer to northern and western Europe.

Although fallow deer come in a variety of colors, most have a dark, dappled coat.

In the summer, the coat is a rich, glossy brown with white spots.

It changes to gray-brown, with barely discernible spots, in winter.

The fallow deer has a white rump patch with a black horseshoe-shaped line around the edge.

A black stripe runs down the middle of the back. This black stripe leads to a tail that is black on top and white on the bottom.

When it wants to warn other members of its herd of danger, the deer flips up its tail, showing the white underside.

Another variety of fallow deer has brown, rather than black, markings. Its main body color is a lighter fawn. Its spots remain distinct in winter.

Another type has a glossy jet-black coat in summer. Its legs and belly are gray. Its spots are indistinct. In the winter, its coat becomes duller.

Some fallow deer are white or pale ginger with orange hooves and pale noses.

Because these different varieties of deer can interbreed, there are many intermediate shades. Parents and their offspring can be different colors.

Fallow deer have brown eyes set in the side of their heads, which give them wide-angled vision. They have large ears that can be swiveled in any the direction, to focus on the slightest sound. These features allow the deer to be alert to any sign of danger.

If they are threatened, fallow deer will quickly run for cover, with a doe leading them in single file.

Sometimes when they are in danger, fallow deer adopt a gait known as stotting, pronking or pronging: They bound stiff-legged on all four feet, feet, stop, look around and run off again.

Some biologists think that by stotting, a deer is letting a predator know that it is healthy and strong and would be difficult to catch. This causes the predator to focuses its attention on a different animal.

From late summer to spring, bucks (adult male deer) have large antlers, which they shed later.